TGIF

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Jan Brown

The first week on a new job can be so difficult–for you as well as your loved ones. Especially if they don’t love you back.

This is the theme of my story for Friday Fictioneers. Rochelle Wisoff-Fields leads our rowdy band of fictioneers by providing a photo prompt to inspire us each week. Writers from around the world post 100-word stories, based on the prompt. You can see them all here, and you can post your own story, too!

Many thanks to Dawn Quyle Landau for this week’s photo.

Photo Copyright: Dawn Q. Landau

TGIF

by Jan Brown

Monday:

Promotions were announced at the precinct. My husband, Jack, got his gold shield. I didn’t.

He always has to be one step ahead.

Tuesday:

A wasted evening listening to Jack bitch about his new job in Homicide.

Seriously?

Wednesday:

I dissolved my monthly supply of lithium into his coffee.

He forgot his thermos.

Thursday:

I bashed his brake line with a chunk of asphalt.

He didn’t take his car.

Friday:

I made breakfast for Jack and his new partner.

Delicious.

Saturday:

I reported him missing.

The next spring:

I hiked along the tracks, smiling as I passed their graves.

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46 thoughts on “TGIF”

Sandra on February 26, 2015 at 1:43 am said:

I love it when stories are told in different formats, and this was a corker. Such a laconic voice, and the swell of violence is perfectly balanced. (Did you mean librium rather than lithium?) As far as I can recall you are a FF old timer too, I seem to have been enjoying your stories for quite some time now. Glad to see you here this week.

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- Jan Brown on February 26, 2015 at 4:31 am said:
  
  Thank you, Sandra! Yes, I’m an old timer (in more ways than one). You prompted me to look up both lithium and librium. As oral medications, both treat psychological states: salts of lithium for manic episodes and librium as a broader sedative. Hopefully I won’t need either one soon 😉
  
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patrickprinsloo on February 26, 2015 at 2:59 am said:

See Sandra above. Lovely stuff.
She WILL get found out one day of course – probably when she flashes his gold shield in front of some of his old buddies.

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- Jan Brown on February 26, 2015 at 4:34 am said:
  
  Thanks, Patrick! I have a feeling she will be interrogated by his friends and colleagues in the near future….
  
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rochellewisoff on February 26, 2015 at 5:32 am said:

Dear Jan,

Oh how I’ve missed your writing. I love the progression of the story. You made me smile until I laughed.

Shalom,

Rochelle

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- Jan Brown on February 26, 2015 at 9:24 am said:
  
  Thank you, Rochelle! It’s great to be missed 🙂
  
  I’m glad I made you smile!
  
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dmmacilroy on February 26, 2015 at 5:33 am said:

Dear jan,

I echo Sandra in all her wisdom. Loved the abortive attempts before Friday, love the title, and the all too human touch of returning (near) to the place the bodies are buried. Excellent job this week.

Aloha,

Doug

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- Jan Brown on February 26, 2015 at 9:24 am said:
  
  Mahalo, Doug!
  
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gahlearner on February 26, 2015 at 7:08 am said:

Delightful black humour. I loved the format. Great story.

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- Jan Brown on February 26, 2015 at 9:21 am said:
  
  Thank you, Gah!
  
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draliman on February 26, 2015 at 7:26 am said:

Wow, she got there in the end! I loved the “diary” format you used for this.

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- Jan Brown on February 26, 2015 at 9:16 am said:
  
  Thank you, Alistair!
  
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Helena Hann-Basquiat on February 26, 2015 at 7:44 am said:

I echo the previous sentiments… a very effective storytelling method. Good one, Jan!

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- Jan Brown on February 26, 2015 at 9:15 am said:
  
  Thank you, Helena!
  
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keiths ramblings on February 26, 2015 at 8:40 am said:

Oh, I enjoyed that! It was made even better by the way you presented it. Excellent.

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- Jan Brown on February 26, 2015 at 10:55 am said:
  
  Thank you, Keith 🙂
  
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Rachel Bjerke on February 26, 2015 at 10:08 am said:

Yikes, she really wanted that job! And hated her husband… Too bad the partner got sucked into it too.

Very clever story 🙂

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- Jan Brown on February 26, 2015 at 10:53 am said:
  
  Thank you, Rachel!
  
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aliciajamtaas on February 26, 2015 at 1:46 pm said:

I like the day-by-bay countdown, errors made, but there’s no stopping this lady. Well done.

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- Jan Brown on February 26, 2015 at 2:46 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Alicia! I had fun writing it 🙂
  
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Michael B. Fishman on February 27, 2015 at 6:15 am said:

If I could have pressed the “Like” button twice for this one I would have. When I read these stories I always wonder about the minds behind them and how the writer came to that particular idea and I really like the mind behind this one!

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- Jan Brown on February 27, 2015 at 6:48 am said:
  
  Thank you very much! Seems we both had characters that came to violent ends this week….
  
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waitingforaname on February 27, 2015 at 11:52 am said:

Wow. That’s one vindictive woman. Well done.

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- Jan Brown on February 27, 2015 at 3:15 pm said:
  
  Thank you, Lisa. Yes, she’s more than a little crazy….
  
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rgayer55 on February 27, 2015 at 4:18 pm said:

You have to admire her persistence. Jack wasn’t an easy guy to hack.

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- Jan Brown on February 27, 2015 at 4:54 pm said:
  
  No, he wasn’t easy! But she was sufficiently obsessed to complete the task 🙂
  
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Björn Rudberg (brudberg) on February 27, 2015 at 4:21 pm said:

So great to see you back Jan.. this was a great way to tell a story.. but at least in the final attempt she got two birds with one stone..

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- Jan Brown on February 27, 2015 at 4:55 pm said:
  
  Thank you, Bjorn! It’s good to be back 🙂
  
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lingeringvisions by Dawn on February 27, 2015 at 6:35 pm said:

Funny he forgot his thermos. I was beginning to think she wasn’t gonna be able t pull it off but I see persistence pays off.

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- Jan Brown on February 27, 2015 at 7:06 pm said:
  
  Yes, persistence is a good thing–usually. Unless it’s part of a crazy obsession….
  
  Thank you for reading and commenting!
  
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sustainabilitea on February 27, 2015 at 10:11 pm said:

Jumping in to say that I really enjoyed both format and story, Jan. Have a great weekend.

janet

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- Jan Brown on February 28, 2015 at 6:27 am said:
  
  Thanks, Janet. You, too!
  
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Perry Block (@PerryBlock) on February 28, 2015 at 4:40 am said:

Wow! Talk about a corrupt cop! You’re back in stride with a cool format story.

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- Jan Brown on February 28, 2015 at 6:23 am said:
  
  Thanks, Perry! It’s good to be back 😀
  
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karen rawson on February 28, 2015 at 7:47 am said:

Bravo! Wicked, ingenious and compact little story.

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- Jan Brown on February 28, 2015 at 8:25 am said:
  
  Thank you, Karen! Just read your last two stories. Enjoyed them immensely 🙂
  
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Amy Reese on February 28, 2015 at 1:28 pm said:

So dreadful that his new job in homicide ended in his own death. Jan, you nailed the tone of this piece just right. Just the right reserve and punch. I liked that you experimented with a different format. Well done.

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- Jan Brown on March 1, 2015 at 1:11 pm said:
  
  Thank you, Amy!
  
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talesfromthemotherland on February 28, 2015 at 4:14 pm said:

Jan, this totally caught me by surprise! It really drew me in with the format and simple voice. I anticipated something far less sinister… all the more impactful. 😉

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- Jan Brown on March 1, 2015 at 1:10 pm said:
  
  Thank you, Dawn! And thanx for a great photo this week. I enjoyed your piece on the visit with your daughter in Israel, as well as the other photos that you posted from that trip. Kudos!
  
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  - talesfromthemotherland on March 2, 2015 at 10:17 pm said:
    
    Thanks so much Jan. I appreciate you reading that post! I’ve been enjoying the stories in this series, though it’s been hard to keep up! I can’t wait to have a few weeks of “down time!”
    
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Tracey@WhatsforDinnerDoc.com on February 28, 2015 at 10:54 pm said:

Nice cadence and format. Sucked me right in.

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milliethom on March 1, 2015 at 10:57 am said:

The format of this really works. I love the progression throughout the week and the last two snippets are excellent. Clever humour throughout. 🙂

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- Jan Brown on March 1, 2015 at 1:06 pm said:
  
  Thank you!
  
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The Writer's Village on March 1, 2015 at 12:17 pm said:

Congrats on a great and original piece.
What a wonderful reportive-styledwriting.
And devilishly and sweetly humorous… delicious!
Randy

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- Jan Brown on March 1, 2015 at 1:03 pm said:
  
  Thank you, Randy!
  
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